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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · mug · staff · rule · bound · ball · sharp · field

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. sharp — clever
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stem — to come from
  7. staff — employees
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mug — a face
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rule — a law
  17. bound — certain
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com